Behind every Start-up Success Story - How Ecosystems Shape Growth, Scale and Impact

Behind Every Start-up Success Story – How Ecosystems Shape Growth, Scale and Impact.

Start-up success rarely happens in isolation. Around every thriving company is a network of actors shaping the conditions for growth – from policymakers and investors to incubators and research organisations. Organised by INNOVATE-EU, WE-RISE and EPIC-X and taking place in connection with Start-up Fair 2026, this event looks at how these ecosystems can be strengthened to better support Europe’s next generation of innovators.

Although Europe offers a strong foundation of talent and ideas, many start-ups continue to face barriers when expanding their activities – whether due to limited access to finance, fragmented markets, or missing connections to key stakeholders. This session brings the focus to the structures and collaborations that make a real difference in overcoming these challenges.

Experts and practitioners from across the innovation landscape will come together to share experiences and insights from initiatives that have supported start-ups across Europe. The discussion will centre on what works in practice, where gaps remain, and how joint efforts can lead to more impactful support systems.

Look forward to

• Creating policy recommendations together with other experts which will go straight to the European Commission via the three co-organising projects
• A panel representing the whole start-up support ecosystem moderated by Daina Kleponė (Researcher at Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences, Agrifood Lithuania) and including Danielius Stasiulis (European Innovation Council), start-ups, investor and national start-up support organisation
• Creative project presentations

This is not just an event to listen to what is going on on stage, but also to become active and create recommendations together.

Join us in Vilnius on 16 September 2026.

The conversation continues on 17 September 2026 at Start-up Fair, where participants can connect with emerging start-ups and explore their solutions during dedicated pitching sessions.